Which to use
“übertreffen” and “übertreiben” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,618
- “übertreffen” frequency rank
- #13,296
- “übertreiben” frequency rank
- 29914
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | übertreffen | übertreiben |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | über seine persönlichen Leistungen hinausgehen | einen Sachverhalt in einer Weise darstellen, dass er mehr einer Eigenschaft besitzt als in Wirklichkeit |
Where the eye mixes übertreffen and übertreiben
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. übertreffen (VCVCCCVCCVC) and übertreiben (VCVCCCVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between übertreffen and übertreiben
A purely visual mix-up. übertreffen ([yːbɐˈtʁɛfn̩]) and übertreiben ([yːbɐˈtʁaɪ̯bn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29914, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
übertreffen is recorded at frequency rank #16,618, classified as averb, pronounced [yːbɐˈtʁɛfn̩]. übertreiben is at rank #13,296, tagged as averb, pronounced [yːbɐˈtʁaɪ̯bn̩].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 29914, this pair ranks #1,757,864 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of übertreffen vs übertreiben
Shared letters: benrtü. Private to "übertreffen": f. Private to "übertreiben": i.
"übertreffen" · 11 letters · shape VCVCCCVCCVC · "übertreiben" · 11 letters · shape VCVCCCVVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "übertreffen" for "übertreiben" ever safe?
Frequency check: "übertreffen" vs "übertreiben" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "übertreffen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "übertreiben" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,757,864 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "übertreffen" and "übertreiben" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "übertreibe vs übertreiben". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,757,864 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.